Public Libraries

More than half of public librarians have collaborated with local school systems and teachers since the closures to provide digital and online services for children and teens, according to SLJ's Youth Services in Public Libraries COVID-19 Response Survey. And nearly 33 percent have collaborated with local agencies toward the same goal.

Ordering materials and resources continues during library closures, although purchasing has shifted to ebooks and other digital resources, according to SLJ's survey of youth services librarians.

Youth services librarians at public libraries around the country have been adjusting to pandemic closures and trying to plan for future programming amid many unknowns, including budgets, according to SLJ's recent survey.

In San Francisco, employment agreements say that librarians can be deployed as disaster workers. Elsewhere, librarians voluntarily pitch in to help municipalities.

A school librarian in Virginia and district supervisor in New Jersey are among the educators, students, and makers using their expertise to make personal protective equipment during the novel coronavirus pandemic. 

An upside of sheltering in place? More time for reading. Library patronage has seen a boost, with OverDrive reporting a spike of 30 percent in digital checkouts since March 13, when the coronavirus epidemic was declared a national emergency.

The award-winning author will post two videos a week to help inspire young people to write, along with a monthly newsletter for educators and parents.

Launching today: A wizarding respite for the coronavirus-weary. Through Harry Potter at Home, readers can access HP-related activities and downloads, including free audiobook and ebook versions of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, available through April.

These songs serve as reminders of strategies to keep calm and carry on in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak and related media frenzy.